Sands of Darkness, Book 4: The Flight of Shadows
by The Guardian of Timelines
Summary: Shadowstalker has always been ignored. He's abnormal, in the sight of his tribe, all because he's a hybrid. But now, he has friends, and he doesn't want to lose any more.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

 _Deathshadow's POV…._

Deathshadow paced back and forth in his lab. He was bored, and he didn't like being bored. He needed something to do, something that would keep him busy instead of this pointless pacing.

There was a tapping sound at the door. Deathshadow sighed and went over to the door. He unlocked it and pulled it open. Inferno was standing outside the door, with a bigger SkyWing behind him carrying something silvery.

"Inferno, pleasure seeing you." Deathshadow said, then looked at the other SkyWing. "What's he carrying?"

"A possible new project for you, if you can keep him alive." Inferno answered. Deathshadow nodded and stepped out of the doorway, allowing them in.

"Put him on the table over there." The big NightWing said. The SkyWing carried his load over to a metal table and set it down on top of it. Deathshadow approached as the SkyWing backed away.

"An IceWing? Where'd you find an IceWing?" He asked, glancing at Inferno, who stayed silent. He ran his claws across the IceWings scales, stopping when he came to a scorch mark across his side.

"You fought him, didn't you?" The NightWing asked. Inferno nodded once.

"Can you save him?" He asked. Deathshadow put a claw against the IceWings neck and nodded.

"It's lucky he isn't hurt too bad." He remarked. "He one of those dragonets you captured a while back.

"Yes, but his friends got away while he stayed back to distract me." Inferno growled. "I was going to kill him, but at the last moment I went past his neck and grabbed a chunk of rock, smacking him in the side of the head. Pretty sure they think I killed him."

"So, let me guess." Deathshadow said slowly. "You want me to bring him back from the brink of death, then you're going to force him to work for you?"

Inferno smiled. "Not of his own free will, but yes." He said. "I can't wait to see the shock on his friends faces when they realize he's still alive."

Deathshadow nodded. "Then go. I'll get started right away."

Inferno nodded and gestured to the other SkyWing. The two turned and walked out the door, Deathshadow locking it behind them. The NightWing turned back to the IceWing, a cruel smile on his face.

"I think I'll call you project Frozendeath." He said, then walked towards his supply cave.

 **A/N:**

 **I decided I couldn't kill off Frostbite. This is my way of keeping him in the story. We'll see the return of 'Frozendeath' in book six. Until then, we won't see him except possibly in prologues and epilogues.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Shadowstalker glanced over at Lantana as they flew on. Adder was flying beside the RainWing and every now and then would say something to her. Sighing, Shadowstalker glanced at Whitetip, who was flying beside him. The SeaWing looked at him, his gaze curious.

"How are we going to fulfill our mission if we keep losing members of our group?" Shadowstalker asked.

The SeaWing shrugged. Shadowstalker sighed, and flew over so that he was flying beside the RainWing that had been with them since they had left the ruins of the Blazing Talons arena.

"Your name is Heliconia, right?" Shadowstalker asked the RainWing, who glanced at him and nodded.

"Is Lantana all right?" Heliconia asked, glancing at the other RainWing. Shadowstalker sighed.

"No, she's probably not." He said. "Before we lost Frostbite, our friend Cobra flew off. She really liked him, and she's still trying to cope with the fact that Frostbite is dead and that she's in charge now."

"Oh." Heliconia said, and glanced sideways at him. "You think she'll ever get better?"

Shadowstalker shrugged. "Possibly." He said, before flapping his wings faster to come up on Lantana's other side.

Lantana glanced at him. "Adder and I have been talking. We've decided that he's going to go off on his own to try and find Cobra a few days after we reach Possibility."

Adder nodded, the metal mask on his face catching the sun. "Cobra is my brother. It's only right I try to find him." The SandWing said, his voice determined.

Shadowstalker nodded, then glanced forwards as Possibility showed up on the horizon.

"Maybe we'll find Current again." Lantana said hopefully.

"If we do, I'll be glad to see him." Adder said.

 **A/N:**

 **I'm baaack! Did you miss me? I'll try to work on finishing up this story, I promise. Sorry for such the long absence of updating it!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Shadowstalker glanced around as they landed in front of the boarded up house they had stayed in the last time they had been in Possibility. Adder walked up to the door, reaching forwards to open it only to jump backwards as it flew open.

"I thought you'd come back!" Current said, a grin across his face as he walked out of the now open doorway. "Thought I might as well wait here."

"We're glad to see you Current." Lantana said, a small smile on her face.

Current scanned the group, a small furrow appearing on his forehead. "Where's the IceWing?" He asked. "And who's this new RainWing?"

Lantana went to speak, caught herself, then said calmly "Adder will fill you in on what's happened since we last saw you. Meanwhile, Shadowstalker, Whitetip, you two come with me please."

Shadowstalker nodded, falling in alongside Whitetip behind Lantana as the three of them lifted off. Lantana flew around above Possibility, and eventually Shadowstalker couldn't take it anymore.

"What are you doing Lantana?" He asked, and the RainWing looked at him.

"Night reader told me of a vision he had." Lantana said, turning back to scanning the ground. "He told me to fly this direction, and look for a garden."

Shadowstalker was about to make a snide remark when Lantana gave a small noise of pleasure and dove down towards a garden beside a structure where a SandWing and a NightWing stood. Shadowstalker and Whitetip followed her, landing on either side of her as she landed.

"It's Lantana, correct?" The SandWing asked, and Lantana nodded. Shadowstalker looked the two dragons over and recognized them as the SandWing and NightWing they had met in the rainforest a couple days ago.

"And your Qibli and Moon, right?" Lantana asked, and they both nodded. Lantana glanced around, then asked hopefully "Is Kinkajou still with you?"

Shadowstalker noticed the sudden change in Moon's eyes, and he put a gentle talon on Lantana's shoulder. She glanced at him, startled, then whipped her head back to Moon and Qibli.

"Where is she?" Lantana asked, her voice rising a note. Moo pointed at the building. Lantana went to go to it, but the NightWing held her back.

"She's hurt pretty badly." Moon said gently. "She's not awake, and the doctor doesn't know when she's going to wake up."

Lantana made a choking sound and pushed past Moon. Shadowstalker glanced at Whitetip and the two of them stayed back. Eventually, Lantana rejoined them, tears starting to run down her face.

"What..what happened?" She asked, and Moon glanced at Qibli. The SandWing dipped his head softly.

"We'll tell you everything that's happened since we last saw each other." Moon said. "But we should probably tell you our story when we're all together. Where can we meet up with you?"

"I'll send Adder to get you." Lantana said, composing herself and wiping her tears away. "Expect him sometime tonight."

Moon nodded and Lantana spread her wings, lifting off. Shadowstalker and Whitetip lifted off as well, flying after her.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Shadowstalker waited in a patch of shadows outside the house. A half-hour ago, Lantana had sent Adder to go get Moon and Qibli and after the SandWing had left she had told him to wait outside for them to arrive.

He suddenly noticed movement in the sky, and he narrowed his eyes, seeing the glint of moonlight off Adder's mask, a sight he had become used traveling with the scarred SandWing.

As Adder landed along with Moon and Qibli, Shadowstalker walked forward into the moonlight. Moon merely glanced st him while Qibli whipped his head towards him, his tail starting to rise up before lowering.

"They're waiting for you inside." Shadowstalker said, jerking his head towards the house. "I'm standing watch."

Adder nodded and led Moon and Qibli inside. Shadowstalker sat down near the door, and a couple seconds later Adder reemmerged from inside, closing the door behind him.

"I decided I'd help you keep watch." Adder said, settling down. Shadowstalker nodded at him, grateful for the company.

"So, Adder, how did you get involved in the Blazing Talons?" Shadowstalker asked, curious. The SandWing looked at him, before glancing away.

"I'd rather not talk about that." He said, and Shadowstalker dipped his head slightly.

"Sorry for asking." He said, and Adder grunted. There was dead silence between them for a few minutes, then Adder raised his head, his eyes narrowing. Shadowstalker watched as the SandWing stood up, taking a few steps forward. A sudden movement caught Shadowstalker's eye, and the hybrid glanced in that direction to see a snake slithering across the ground.

"Adder." He hissed. "Dragonbite viper."

Adder immediately whirled, his head arcing back as he prepared to breath fire on the snake. The snake stopped moving, and suddenly it started to grow. Shadowstalker blinked as a NightWing suddenly stood where the viper had been.

"Who are you?" Adder hissed, his tail raised threateningly. The NightWing looked at him, and Shadowstalker realized that they were only a dragonet.

"Adder…" He hissed quietly. "They look to be about six. I don't think they're a threat." The SandWing paused, his eyes narrowing as he looked the NightWing up and down before he backed up a few steps, lowering his tail and curling it up.

"What's your name?" Shadowstalker asked, taking a few steps forward. The NightWing looked at him for a few seconds.

"Firebrand." They finally said. Shadowstalker nodded then stepped closer to them. The NightWing glared at him, but Shadowstalker strained his eyes until he could see them clearly. The most prominent feature he noticed was an odd birthmark shaped like a flame.

"I'm guessing you got your name from that birthmark?" He asked, and the NightWing hissed, before his shape blurring for a second before a SandWing stood in front of him, their black eyes glaring at him. Shadowstalker took a few steps backwards, his eyes widening.

There was a slight metallic clink, and Shadowstalker looked over at Adder to see him removing his talon from his mask, which lay on the ground. The SandWing took a few steps towards Firebrand, who glared at him.

"Look Firebrand. You don't have to be worried about us judging you." Adder said slowly. "Shadowstalker there is a NightWing-SkyWing hybrid. One half of my face is partially melted from RainWing venom. We won't judge you."

The SandWing looked suspiciously at the two of them, before he turned back into his NightWing shape. The Moon suddenly shone through the clouds, illuminating Firebrand, and Shadowstalker's eyes widened as he realized the NightWing wasn't black, but a dark, deep red, while wing membranes, underbelly, and horns were all a slightly lighter shade.

"We'll introduce you to our friends soon." Shadowstalker said. "But maybe for now you could hide."

Firebrand looked at him, his eyes slightly less suspicious. His form shrunk until he was once again a dragonbite viper. The viper slithered over to a dark patch of shadow, disappearing into it.

"That was eventful." Adder said as he and Shadowstalker went back to where they had been guarding the door, placing his mask back over his face as they walked. "Let's hope nothing tops it."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Soon, Lantana opened the door, leading Moon and Qibli. She nodded to them as they took off, then glanced at Adder and Shadowstalker.

"Anything?" She asked. Shadowstalker glanced in the direction of where Firebrand had gone to hide.

"Yeah, we have someone to introduce you to." Adder said, and as he spoke the viper slithered out of the shadows. Lantana stumbled back as it grew into Firebrand, looked her over before glancing at Shadowstalker.

"This is Lantana, our leader." He said. "She'll decide if you can join us or not."

"Who said I wanted to join?" Firebrand said, but his voice wasn't angry. Lantana looked the shapeshifter over before nodding.

"You can join us." Lantana said, before glancing backwards as Whitetip walked out of the door.

"Lantana, I'm sorry, but I have to go now." He said, spreading his wings. "I need to check in on what's going on in the Kingdom of the Sea."

Lantana nodded, her gaze soft. "Go home and check. Come back when you're ready."

Whitetip nodded, before lifting off. Shadowstalker watched as the SeaWing flew off, becoming a small dot in the night sky before disappearing from sight.

"Well, we should get inside and get to sleep." Lantana said, and they all walked into the house. Shadowstalker curled up as Adder closed the door, and the hybrid closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.


	6. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

 _Frostbite's POV….._

Frostbite groaned as he opened his eyes. Right away he noticed the fact that there were chains around his legs and arms. He reached up to touch his throat, finding it unsliced.

 _Where am I?_ He thought, glancing around at his surroundings. The walls were bare stone, and the entrance was unbarred.

He glanced down at himself and nearly screamed. There were metal plates interwoven among his silver scales. He extended one wing and stared in horror at the thin, flexible metal sheet that had been placed over each of his wing membranes, attached to small metal hooks in his wings.

With a mounting sense of horror, he raised one talon to his face. He ran it along his face, relaxing slightly when he didn't feel anything peculiar there.

"What's your name?" A voice said, and he turned to see a SeaWing emerge from the shadows of the cave.

"Frostbite." He rasped, coughing slightly. "Yours?"

"My name is Hurricane." She said softly. "You need water."

Frostbite shook his head. "I'm good." He rasped. "Where are we?"

"I don't know." Hurricane admitted. "I tried to attack a SkyWing I saw. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in here."

"I need to get out of here." Frostbite growled, ignoring the fact that it made his voice hurt.

Hurricane opened her mouth to answer, but she froze as if she heard something. She hissed "Don't tell them I'm still here, or where I'm hiding. I'm pretty sure they've forgotten about me." Then she darted into the shadows of the cave.

Inferno landed in the entrance of the cave, with a SandWing next to him.

"Good, you're awake." Inferno said. "Scarab, he's all yours."

Scarab smiled at Inferno as she walked towards Frostbite, who stared at her. He tried to move, but his talons were rooted to the spot. All he could do was stare at her, his gaze locked onto her black eyes. Then everything went black.

 **A/N:**

 **Sorry for such a short book, but I really want to try and get to book seven soon. I figured out what I want to do after I finish that book...and it may surprise a lot of you. I hope you'll continue following this series.**


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